The STAR TREK universe continues to expand on CBS All Access, and one of the most intriguing elements is the upcoming Patrick Stewart-led series.

Stewart played Jean-Luc Picard for seven seasons on STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION and will reprise the role, showcasing Picard’s next chapter, in an upcoming digital series. (Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd have also joined the series in undisclosed roles.)

At the STAR TREK: DISCOVERY PaleyFest panel, executive producer Alex Kurtzman shared he was at Stewart’s home the previous day to go over the pilot for the series. “I heard him read the first episode and I almost cried,” he admitted during the panel. “He’s at an amazing place in his life. He’s so excited. It’s going to be a very different show from DISCOVERY. The only way this universe, I think, works correctly is if these shows are really different…it’s going to be a very thoughtful, psychological portrait in a lot of ways.”

“We all know what Picard means to the world, and why he, like so many legendary STAR TREK characters, has endured,” he continued. “He in some ways has to go to a gauntlet in order to find that again. Things have changed in some ways and yet he is so deeply and fundamentally Picard. We’re thrilled at what we’re going to deliver. I know Patrick is really excited. The cast is coming together beautifully.”